A strong, pungent smell of blood violently assaulted Shen Tang's nostrils.
Besides the nauseating stench of blood, the air was also filled with three vast auras brimming with vitality. Three medical practitioners were attempting to save him, and Shen Tang's gaze pierced through the gaps, landing on the source of the blood—a dying martial artist! The martial artist's face was covered in blood and filth, so dirty that his features were unrecognizable, but that didn't stop Shen Tang from recognizing his identity—he was the tenth-rank Left Vice Minister who was protecting Qi Shan and the other two!
She rushed over as soon as she received the news.
The details are still unknown.
Apart from the three physicians and the assisting medic, everyone else in the tent saluted Chen Tang. She raised her hand to signal him to rise and asked the soldier who had first discovered the martial artist, suppressing the turmoil churning within her, "Where did you find him? Was he awake or unconscious when you found him? Did you bring back any message?"
One of the soldiers knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in response.
They found the people while fetching water.
There are several water sources nearby.
Although there were wells inside the camp, they could only meet part of the needs; the rest had to be drawn from water sources outside the tents. To ensure the water source wasn't tampered with by the enemy, the soldiers took turns fetching water, and this time it was their turn. Rainfall was scarce this season, and the water level was shallow, so the water-fetching site was located quite deep.
They heard a loud thud as something heavy fell into the water.
I didn't pay much attention to it at first.
The camp was cleared of some areas, but some poisonous insects and wild beasts still hid deep inside, or came from elsewhere to drink water. The soldiers had to keep their eyes and ears open when fetching water to avoid being accidentally injured.
This time, I also thought it was some kind of water snake or monkey that had fallen into the water.
Until they discovered the water was stained red with blood.
A badly injured four-legged fish struggled to swim toward them.
It's less accurate to say it swam there and more accurate to say it was pushed closer by the waves.
"A four-legged fish?"
The term "four-legged fish" is a colloquial expression; it's also known as "water dog" in some regions. Its more formal names are salamander and newt, and it's often mistaken for a giant salamander. The two soldiers didn't care whether it was a protected animal; they were only thinking about having an extra meal that evening. However, they quickly changed their minds.
The four-legged fish turned into a living person right before their eyes.
The water washed the blood off the man's face, revealing a pale but somewhat familiar face. The two soldiers were nearly paralyzed with fear, but without hesitation, they jumped into the water and together pulled the man out. They searched him for any identification and finally found two tokens, recognizing him as a retainer of Luan Gongyi, the Minister of Personnel. They then had his identity verified.
Among the soldiers fetching water together was a veteran who had belonged to Qiu Cheng's former subordinates, and that veteran had seen the seriously injured warrior.
Once their identities were confirmed, they immediately set out without delay.
The wounded were immediately sent to the wounded soldiers' camp for emergency treatment.
The veterans then went off separately to report the news.
That's why Shen Tang was able to receive the news and rush over immediately.
Seeing the king arrive, the two soldiers secretly rejoiced that they had made the right decision and hadn't wasted a single moment on the journey. If they had truly saved a very important figure, they would at least be credited with a contribution. Military merit without even risking their lives to fight the enemy—wasn't that wonderful?
Shen Tang closed her eyes to calm herself down, then opened them again: "You all did a good job. Remember your merits and go down to receive your rewards."
The two soldiers retreated with glee.
The other veteran remained motionless. Shen Tang glanced at him; his face was flushed with embarrassment, but he still said firmly, "It's not that I'm dissatisfied with the reward, but... I was once a subordinate of the general, and I humbly request that my lord allow me to stay here and guard this place..."
Shen Tang nodded in agreement: "Okay."
The veteran was filled with trepidation and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
Despite his inner worry and anxiety, the veteran was amazed by the way the three medical professionals worked together to save lives. It was the most magnificent and shocking scene he had ever seen in his life!
The heavily wounded martial artist hovered in the air, his wounds enveloped in a faint light. The light seemed to breathe, rhythmically expanding and contracting. The blood gushing from the wounds stretched within the light, transforming into a cluster of seemingly chaotic yet orderly crimson threads, their ends connected to the broken ends.
Countless crimson threads were piled up haphazardly, wrapping the person in a blood cocoon.
He vaguely saw mysterious blood vessels appearing on the severed neck; the blood vessels varied in thickness, and some even resembled bone.
As time went on, mud, filth, and blood clots were continuously cleaned out, and the blood cocoon looked smaller than it had at the beginning.
The veteran clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
He didn't even dare to breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing people.
When he came to his senses, his inner shirt was soaked with sweat.
One of the physicians stopped what he was doing, whispered a few words to the other two, and turned to report back. The veteran could clearly see the weariness in his eyes, and his aura was so faint it was almost imperceptible. Clearly, this treatment had been extremely strenuous.
The physician said, "Your Majesty, may we move a little further?"
Shen Tang nodded, indicating that they should go outside to talk.
The veteran hurriedly followed quietly.
Not daring to get too close, he could only stop helplessly at the tent entrance, anxiously watching the direction of the two. The physician, who was more knowledgeable, gave his conclusion first: "This person's life has been temporarily saved... In addition to the severed neck, we found twenty-three other broken bones all over his body, one of which was even punctured by a lung, fortunately without penetrating it... There are eighteen external wounds on his body... His arm was severed by a sharp weapon, and the flames imbued with martial energy scorched the wound, stopping the bleeding to some extent... Even so, with such severe injuries, even if he were a tenth-rank Left Vice Minister, he would hardly live more than half an incense stick's time... His ability to hold on until now must be greatly related to his Martial Courage Totem."
Shen Tang was quite satisfied with the result.
He breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
When she heard the warrior say that the opponent appeared in the form of a four-legged fish, she guessed something. As martial artists' cultivation improves, they can inherit some characteristics of the martial arts totem, and salamanders have excellent regenerative abilities and are extremely resilient. This is probably the main reason why the opponent was able to survive to the very end.
Having delivered the good news, the physician then delivered the bad: "Precisely because the injuries are so severe, especially the neck injury which affects the brain, our medical skills are insufficient to guarantee his recovery. At least for now, it seems unlikely that he will wake up."
This news froze the smile on Shen Tang's lips.
She took a deep breath and tentatively asked, "What if it's about practicing Taoism?"
As the Imperial Physician and the foremost physician in the medical field, Dong Dao's medical skills have improved rapidly over the years; perhaps he has a solution.
The physician slowly shook his head.
Each profession has its own expertise, and this was not the area of expertise for the Imperial Physician.
Even with Dong Dao's arrival, things didn't improve much.
Shen Tang knew in her heart that the injured person might have suffered brain damage and had a high probability of becoming a vegetable: "What are the chances that he will wake up on his own?"
The physician didn't rule out any possibility: "About 30%."
The recovery ability of a martial artist with the courage to fight is well-known, especially one who is a tenth-rank Zuo Shuzhang. Perhaps as the opponent's martial energy slowly fills his dantian, the martial artist will automatically circulate his martial energy to nourish his damaged organs. He may wake up in a few days, or he may never wake up again.
The physician continued, "We need to examine you for another two days."
They would try their best to stimulate and guide the other person's martial energy into their brain. If there were signs of self-healing, it could be basically determined that the person could wake up. After all, the brain is the most complex part of the human body, and medical practitioners have very little knowledge of it. They could only choose the most conservative treatment method, discussing, trying, and observing as they went.
Shen Tang also understood the implied meaning.
He sighed, "That's the only way."
She noticed that the physician seemed hesitant to speak.
"Just tell me if there's anything else."
A physician in the medical field said, "When the path of medicine is thwarted, one may seek alternative paths."
After all, this was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't care less about the righteous path or the crooked one. Moreover, the High Priest of Jimo did have unique methods and might have a solution. However, he couldn't be too explicit. Some medical practitioners believed they could learn from all schools of thought, while others believed that medicine alone was invincible. It was just that their skills were still rudimentary and their medical knowledge was not yet refined, not that medicine was ineffective.
Problems that medicine cannot solve should be further explored!
Seeking unorthodox solutions to problems is heresy!
Because of this taboo, he cannot be too explicit.
Shen Tang understood immediately: "Okay."
She forgot that there was also a high priest of Jimo.
Just as he was about to send someone to find Ji Moqiu, he heard Ji Moqiu's calm voice: "Your Highness, I'm right here."
Shen Tang: "..."
The physician was also startled.
Looking in the direction of the sound, there was no one there.
As the air distorted, a handsome young man dressed in a magnificent and mysterious robe gradually appeared. He and Gong Xichou took turns guarding him, with Gong Xichou's shift ending when he went on duty. However, not wanting to distract His Highness, he concealed himself and remained silent.
His Highness clearly knew where he was, yet he hadn't thought of him immediately. Ji Moqiu felt a sense of failure, a sense of dereliction of duty. He wasn't a qualified high priest: "This person's consciousness is trapped in the Chaos Realm, confined here. All we need to do is guide him out."
Actually, even if you ignore it, there's still a chance for you to wake up.
Most martial artists possess unwavering character. As long as their resolve is strong enough and they are not easily swayed or confused by illusions, they can break free even if trapped in a chaotic dream. The only difference lies in the duration. It could be three to five days, a month or two, or even a year and a half. If they haven't awakened by then, it's virtually impossible for them to wake up.
Shen Tang breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll have to trouble the High Priest."
"I am fortunate to serve Your Highness."
Ji Moqiu performed a ritual of the Gongxi clan.
With his involvement, things indeed went much more smoothly.
However, there were some setbacks along the way.
The martial artist was trapped in a dream, transported directly back to the Battle of Xiaocheng. Believing he had been reborn, he looked at his undamaged right hand and murmured, "I've been reborn, reborn at the crossroads of fate. This time I must... ptooey! ptooey! ptooey! ptooey!"
The martial artist scratched his head with his right hand after using it.
"It's still more convenient to have hands."
"What day is it now—?"
"Although life was alright in my previous life, and Shen Jun was indeed much better off than Wen Yan Gong, and everyone could eat their fill, now that I've been reborn, I can't just do nothing and watch things continue to happen, can I? Let me think, what can I do now?"
After thinking it over, it seems there's nothing I can do.
His rebirth timeline is wrong; it's too late.
If it had been a few years earlier, I might have been able to save my wife, children, and elderly parents.
Now, everything that was going to happen has happened.
He sighed and cursed God for being biased. Why could the protagonists in the stories always return to their most regrettable moments, while he was stuck in this situation? He sat there for half the night, and finally remembered what he could do: "There is still someone who can save me."
For example, the Miao woman who saved his life.
Miao Nujun may have taken the wrong path, but perhaps she can turn back now that she's realized it? She refuses to live on land ruled by her enemies; she can venture elsewhere, explore mountains and rivers, witness the lights of humanity—isn't that more interesting than fighting for revenge? As for Luan Jun, she can say many good things about Shen Jun to him. Anyway, they'll eventually hit it off and become inseparable. Hmm, she should also tell him that his leg can be healed, it just requires a few years of patience.
What about myself?
He was considering whether to continue fighting or farming.
I actually like both lifestyles very much.
If he chose the former, what would happen to the fields he had painstakingly cultivated? What would happen to the crops? What would happen to the disciples his martial arts school had taken in? What would happen to the orphans he had taken in and treated like father and son? Right, he could also take a step ahead and prevent them from becoming orphans... The martial artist counted on his fingers, carefully recalling the past.
Looking back, I realize I have so much to do.
"Where is that bastard who hurt me..."
He mentally assessed the difference in strength and felt discouraged.
A few years ago, I was no match for my contemporary enemies, so there was no way I could get revenge for my past life. It's so frustrating!
He lit the lamp and rolled up his sleeves.
Make a detailed plan.
ヾ(ｏω)
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